The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-01-10
"a BRAVE GIRL.
By ELIZABETH STUART PHELPS.
AUTHOR sEALEp onpEns ruE MADONNA
~ KTC., Ere

company as a sort Of Sunday school
which Ind taken Lotto In by tho way, an
. would give her recess ii politely 70
qucsted by an influential friend. So, OF
tho strength Of this pfovidential letter
Loto went, and went alone.
she reported herself at the South Ent
Office Immediately, IS ahe had bseu OF
dereu: There wa no time for shopping
on Winter street. or looking along Ire
mont street windows. No time land n,
. money! to buy the new gloves that wer,
, 60 Borely needed, or even the fresh erep
ia lisse irill for the Holbrooke's dinner
that night. No time oven to lun over ant
leave her bag, and snatch kiss iron
, Fern. Less than no time to 20 and lunch
with her-how strangely tho strange life
began! The South End Telegraph opera
tor lunched at fvecent restaurant, {
block away from her now post, and pre-
scented herself to her Beacon street host
esq, late TO dinner, alone, and after dark
1T was the best could d." sLe paid
with dash Of seli.deiiancs in her voice
stauding among her friends, and looking
piieously about the familiar, luxurious
rooms: "This Is my first day at my post.
The Chief kept mo ovor time, explaining
Ferns eyes filled. It seemed monstrous
to her that Lotto should be q telegraph
girl, and Fern kissed her as II her friend
had met with a second I'll elton. Butahe
kissed her lovingly, and they all met her
heartily, and 80 Lotto sat among them In
her black dress, for tina. one night at least,
contentediy. Hsr heart warmed and rest.
Cd Tor littlo while. She wss touched
when Fern's mother begged he. to stay
with them Tor the present. How pcss;ble
would hard work be with such home to
turn to! But abe only s,id peshap, she
would stay q few days, till aha could look
about. r'"'5-~' -
Egbert was there. E,bert was yery
kind. Heand Lotto talked togethera little.
She wondered how ha felt, Ia his heart,
aboutit. Did he ever entertain telegraph
girl before? 0G'~"1
What would tho Harvard fellows
Think II should despiss him il he
thought the less Of me, said Lotto proud.
ly to herself, "but-hs will, I know he
will. l expect him 10. I knew that be.
lore came. 1t has got to be-" ,gIrF
She tried to begin to despise him then
and there. It seemed time to begin. But
she dld not ret on very last. Esbsrt WAS
60 kind! And when she went I'D with
Fern that night-early, for the college
girl had all the Northampton gossip to
tell, and the telegraph girl had an early
start to make for her business next day.
Egbert stood in the hall, and looked down
into her eyes In his straightforward way,
and said:
"Miss Lotto, wish you didn't have to
work so hard. But"
"Bus its got to bel" repeated Lotto.
~ admit that" admitted E,bert. sand
al want to say 10 TINT l thiak YOU are a
pluIcky girl, and ! respect you with all my
soul.-Good night" -
Goodnight indeed That ia real good
night. Lotto went up to bed with brighter,
Drawer eyes, and slept like lady Of leis.
u1e al night long; at least after Fern had
como to ap end OF telling her whit had
BECOME Of Mary Mace, and Daisy Duhbs,
sad Nellie Hope, and tho green.and.pink
sophomore, aud the irizs!ed Freshman,
and the Amherst boys, aud all the rest OF
the figures on the fading and hslf.foreot-
ten frieze. Fortunately, Fern had The
influenza 80 that it really was not quite
possible te talk till it was quite time to
get up.
toto's new position was good one. Her
work was close, but not unreasonable.
Her pay WAS fair. She received thirty
dollars q month, with q prospect OF in.
creased salary in time. Her superior oil.
ceru approved Of her work. treated her
with respect, and soon assured her that
she would be able to command tho place,
Lotto worked the better for this, and took
heart, and plodded on.
She did not atsy at the Holbrookes' very
long. Fern went back to college: and
ESberts saying Lotto was plucky girl did
not seem to be Il reason for staying on.
MI. Holbrooko wss gentleman, and his
vile lady, and never by the lifting Of an
eyelash was the telegraph operator made
to feel that she was not just as welcome in
tho Beacon street home as the Doctor'e
daughter bad ever been, or could have
been. And yet-and yet-Loto felt that
it gas, better to 20 away, and meant to 20,
and whom oRe night, tbefa wers noms PEG.
pie to dinner, aud q little reception alter.
wards, seversl ladies asked her if she we're
spending the winter IN Boston, and il she
had heard the afternoon concerts, and a
good many more questions that she did
mt know how to answer exactly. her
cheeks grew sgddsnly flaming crimson,
and to herself she said: .. 5i.@lsis
II will 50 Tomorrow"
Ehe could not-why no.?-tell these
Ladies' that sAs wac 8 telegraph girl ct the
South End. Not that's minded. But
but butt did not seem the thing to say
in Mrp. Holbrceke's drawing room.
Ut is time for me TO 90" shs said,
When Egbert came home from Har-
ward 90 TIP next Saturday night there
alter, lle sskedi -.
"Where iS Miss Lotto Y
"Gone to board with these excellent
Grangers, on Cheshire Park" his mother
answered quietly, "she thought it best"
Was there something in tho mothers
cultivated vosco vhieh geemed to add;
u thought 80, too," as abe glanced at her
handsome boy2 Egbert answered moth
ing.
Miss Lotto on Cheshire Park with any
excellent Grapgers! 1t seemed a kind
Of cruelty to the boy. He rcbellcd against
it; But he said nothing, for he was only
. boy. NIL 49,
He went to sec her now and then, not
too often. His mother had said, II
wouldn't 70 TOO oiten--wi.hout Fern"
Egbart vaguely felt that there was good
sense in this advice. His occasional calls,
when they sat with thu Granger old ladies'
in the little stif parlor, were not exactly
scenea of gayety, but they were a comfort
to Lotto, and a pleasure tn him. His
mother came, too, and other friends whom
Lotto had, or made, and go it was not 70
lonely as 1t might have buen, after all, ct
the South End, and 80 the timo slid by,
and the winter came on apace.
Mattero seemed. as far as she could
iuj Vo "a In rofpr rrnkt,, ,,,a1) -